Evolution
by Just Subliminal
Summary: Once upon a time, Syaoran had promised to love her forever, with words, with kisses, with bears...Tomoyo had promised to always be by her side when she needed it, and Eriol wouldn't cheat to get his way again. But apparently those promises were just lies.
1. Realization

_Running..._

Where was she supposed to go? She couldn't hide forever. It'd already been too long... Confrontation was inevitable. There was no way she could escape, nowhere to go where he couldn't find a way to contact her. She needed to stop, to get it over with... But she couldn't.

_An epiphany._

There was nowhere to go.

She had nothing to do, yet, at the same time, there were many things to say.

But... What if he ended up confirming her beliefs? Could she handle that? Could she even process such a thought?

What if...

What if it wasn't all a nightmare?

Maybe... Maybe, she just had to accept the fact that he wasn't for her. She had to accept the fact that he really had hurt her... That it wasn't just a figment of her imagination. She had to accept it... She had to go back.

Returning was the only good thing to do._  
_

So, she turned slowly, auburn hair clinging to her and giving her an almost lost look. Dull forest colored eyes, and skin pale as death made sure that anyone out would believe she was the walking dead...

In a sense, she was.

But, closing her eyes and gripping skin tight, soaked sleeves tighter, she still found herself reversing directions. She was ready to return... But it seemed that there was already someone there, waiting for her. Someone related to him, someone who was trying to stop her from running.

His eyes were burning, it seemed... With what? Anger? Hate? Disgust?... Love? Sympathy? Pity? Regret?

She shook her head and backed up a step, not missing the way his frown deepened. But... She couldn't help but stare. After all she had done to him, after her blatant denial of the truths he set in front of her over and over again... He still tried to help her. Why?

* * *

Dark navy hair, almost ebony glistened under the pouring rain that soaked the two bodies. Midnight eyes, slowly calming into their normal façade of calm and understanding, removing the traces of the almost frighteningly strong emotions running through the his body. Glasses were blurred from the thunderous storm around the two, making the scene even darker than it really was...

Like blurring the lines of reality.

Moments passed in silence, and finally he spoke. "You have to come back. I know you're hurt... But you can't stay away forever. You'll regret it if you don't face things now."

"...I know."

"And he hurt you, yes, but you need to understand that everything happens for a reason."

She was a bit slower to respond this time. "...I know..."

"We've been looking for you for nearly three hours, you know. Everyone was worried that something might've happened to you..." Why was he pointing this out? He didn't want to make her feel guilty. But he _needed_ to say these things.

"...I'm sorry." And yet, she felt too numb to be truly apologetic.

He sighed. "It's cold and wet outside... You're probably becoming sicker as we speak. Will you come home now?"

Why would she want to return? But... He didn't ask if she _wanted_ to go back. He asked if she _would_. "...I don't know."

"You have to come back, soon."

"...Hai. I know."

He paused; but he had to ask. "Will you come back for her?"

"Maybe..."

"Will you come back for both of them?"

"...No."

"Will you come back... For me?"

And then she looked up.

"Please, will you come back for me? ...To me?"

"...Hai. I will."

He smiled, and quick as lightening had her holed up in his gentle embrace. Of course, he knew she thought it was friendly. He knew she was thinking that he was just doing his job as a close friend. He knew that she had no idea about his feelings for her, or how much it hurt to be doing this for the one that she was in love with.

He _didn't _know that he was almost completely wrong.

"...I'm sorry." Suddenly, her knees buckled, and she was almost on the ground with just his arms supporting her.

"Sakura..." He spoke into the winds that were dying down. Face calming, he lifted her weight carefully into his arms, and began heading back the way he'd chased her from in the first place. "I'm glad you knew you couldn't stay away."

"Thank you, Eriol-kun..." Came the softly mumbled words before darkness.


	2. Monochrome Blue

She wasn't quite sure, but for some reason, she was always watching him lately. Ever since that day, that _fateful_ day, Sakura hadn't been able to stop. It was as if, in that one night of unconscious dreaming with his soft presence at her side _(it always reminded her of the color blue, like his hair, she thought to herself)_ she had changed. He had kept her from running, from stalling the inevitable meeting between betrayer and betrayed.

She'd awoken to his worried face and the sorry but not guilty face of her betrayer, staring at her silently, as if it was just another day. And, in truth, it really was just another day, she mused. Sakura had long since gained the distinct impression that what she and her betrayer had wasn't true love; fumbling kisses and shy looks and silly, pointless dates didn't amount to real emotions.

Now she that it was nothing but two lonely hearts that needed to find some false sense of security, as trying as it was.

Except, her betrayer wasn't lonely anymore. They were supposed to be lonely together, but he'd found his _real_ sense of security and removed himself from her, leaving her to remain alone and clueless while he began spending his time with his _new_ partner. Not that it mattered anymore. Everything was ended now, she thought.

"Where is Tomoyo?" Sakura asked after they'd sat in a half hour's silence, not wanting to try and cut through the tense and dark auras filling the air, afraid they might be sucked into some hole they could never return from. "I... I want to see Tomoyo."

"She left," Eriol spoke after a moment's hesitation, glasses shining. She had always enjoyed staring into his eyes, even as they were testing and teaching each other through different battles and trials. Right now, however, she thought that the light of his glasses was dimming the true darkness in those indigo colored orbs, hidden behind a well groomed mask.

"I'm leaving," her betrayer spoke, bristling when he noticed that he wasn't acknowledged. Why should she acknowledge him, she wondered? Had he not hurt her? Left her to wallow in her misery alone? As always, misery loved company. But he had taken that away from her, hadn't he? Yes, he had.

"Goodbye," Eriol spoke before returning his gaze to her as her betrayer left. To her, it seemed that his eyes held messages. She couldn't tell what they said, but she knew they existed. It was as if they wanted to hide themselves from her but were trying too hard.

He opened his mouth, almost unnoticably to say something, but he couldn't get it out fast enough as she spoke, "Why was he here?" Her tones lacked emotion, and her dulled emerald eyes staring into his own unnaturally colored orbs with unveiled displeasure. "Tell me." Why was he _hesitating_?

"He wanted to be sure that you were alright..." He spoke softly, hoping against hope that she would accept his words even as his face remained neutral.

"Liar," she hissed, and both of them were vaguely shocked. Since when had she so boldly called anyone something so _(negative? Hateful? Contemptible? Rude?)_ without saying it from a fear she held; the fear that it was true? "Tell me the truth... Or don't tell me anything at all."

Eriol frowned mentally. She had changed, and he'd known that long before she awoke, simply from watching as her aura darkened in her slumber; but he hadn't known that she'd changed _so much_. How was it even possible, to change so much, so fast? Was this really his Sakura?

Or, perhaps, was the person he knew the fake?

The thought was terrifying in a whole new way, and so, he cast it from his mind. "I don't know," Eriol finally settled on replying. "I believe he wanted to see your face... Or rather, your reaction... To everything," he continued talking as she looked at him, her eyes forcing his every thought on the situation out of his body. "He wanted to make himself feel better about what he did."

Sakura lay back on the futon she was occupying, eyes closing. She wasn't asleep but she was no longer giving attention to the real world either. It simply didn't matter to her. Thinking on it, she wondered if she had ever truly believed something to matter.

Tomoyo mattered.

Her father mattered.

Touya mattered.

Kero mattered.

Yue mattered.

And, of course, Eriol mattered.

She thought back to yesterday _(was it really yesterday?) _and realized that yes, Eriol did matter. Possibly a lot. Syaoran, Tomoyo and Meiling be damned. Since when had Eriol begun to matter? How did he manage to worm his way in that deep?

It was his face, she decided. The smile, the twinkling of his eyes, his glasses... All of it had forced him onto her priorties list secretly, pushing him from the bottom to the top. She'd thought she cared for him because Tomoyo cared, but now she thought on it. Did Tomoyo ever tell her that she cared? Or had she just pushed them together because she and her betrayer were supposed to be miserable together? It was the latter, she decided.

She was horrible.

"It's my fault, isn't it?" Sakura asked aloud, life suddenly returning to her eyes as she bowed her head in shame. "I pushed too hard. It's my fault that everyone has been giving up their joy, their life... Why stay? I should leave now. Forever. Maybe then, everyone will be happy," she spoke as she stood.

Eriol's eyes widened fractionally before he pushed her back down by the shoulders, giving her a stern look. "Rest. You're too weak right now."

"...I've always been weak. Is that why you always sigh? Why you're always pushing me to become stronger? I'm really glad that you tried, but... It's useless. I really think I'll go now, Hiiragizawa-kun," she said with a forced smiled even as tears began gathering in the corners of her eyes and everything that had happened lately began to catch up to her.

"Lay back down," he said, even as he realized she was slipping into _(insanity? Depression? Rage?)_. "I'll call Fujitaka-san to come and get you... Just don't move, please?"

Suddenly, with a strength neither of them knew such a small person could posses, she threw him off of her and began a steady walk to the front door even as he caught up to her. Just as her hand reached the knob, his hand reached her shoulder, and she found that she just couldn't move.

"Sakura..." He mumbled, gripping her shoulder tighter. "Stop it. You'll kill yourself from exhaustion."

"And what if I want to die?" She asked, anger steadily rising and heard in her voice. "I don't want to be here anymore!" She took a deep breath to scream, only to find herself stopped by the sudden force of his mouth on hers. Eyes wide, her hands dropped to her sides lifelessly before her emerald orbs fluttered shut of their own accord.

When he pulled back, Sakura couldn't help but feel confused. She had the urge to whimper, to forget about everything that happened and stay in his arms _(how did she even get there?) _and lean on him, taking all of his warmth for himself to soothe her pain and misery and make everything right again.

But at the same time, she wanted to slap him. She wanted to kick, scream, yell, throw a tantrum! She wanted to release every pent up emotion she had, good, bad, everything! But she couldn't. Her body was frozen, even as he pulled them both into a sitting position by the door.

"I apologize. I had no right," Eriol spoke as the silence lapsed on. Inwardly, he was both overjoyed and filled with angst. He'd finally gotten the chance to touch her lips, but she hadn't wanted it and probably never would. He'd be grateful if she even accepted a pat from him at this point, whether she was still in his arms or not.

All of a sudden, Sakura just couldn't take it anymore.

She broke down crying.


	3. From Moon to Sun

"Sakura," Eriol murmured quietly. Navy blue eyes were focused on the moon, half-hidden by dark clouds, slightly obscured by the unbelievably clean window that he was staring out of. He was sitting in his chair; it was his favorite chair, the plush red one with a high-back, the one that he _always_ sat in when he was pondering over things... Interesting things, like the subject of one Kinomoto Sakura.

Of course, said girl wasn't there anymore, and in fact, she hadn't spoken to him for three days. Somehow, he suspected she wouldn't be anywhere near him for quite some time yet. When those emerald eyes had begun to leak tears, she'd pushed herself away from him, refusing even a tissue to clean her face with after doing so. He hadn't expected that he would miss her touch so much, but then, he hadn't expected for their contact to end so quickly, despite how inevitable it was.

And, to his chagrin, he couldn't blame it on anyone but himself.

Or maybe, he could. If Syaoran had never begun courting Tomoyo behind Sakura's back, then the whole situation could've been avoided. If Tomoyo had never told Meiling, then the Chinese girl would've never been able to talk about Syaoran wooing Tomoyo within range of Sakura's hearing, and said girl wouldn't have ever stumbled upon Syaoran pleading with Tomoyo _-more, more, more...-_

Still, he could've allowed somebody else to run after her, especially when it began to rain... Or maybe he couldn't. After all, Spinel and Ruby were out, Kero hadn't even been aware of the situation, and Tomoyo, Meiling, and Syaoran were all apart of the cause for Sakura's mental breakdown in the first place. So, maybe that part wasn't his fault... But he had no right to kiss her! So, maybe she was becoming hysteric, and maybe his shaking went completely unnoticed to her, and maybe it was the only thing he could think of at the time, and maybe he'd really,_ really_ wanted to do so for an eternity... Alright, that wasn't really his fault either.

However!

Everything still _felt_ like it was his fault, because he couldn't find it in himself to be angry at Syaoran for loving another, and he couldn't blame Meiling for talking about it, seeing as she'd been thwarted from marrying the boy by _two_ people now. And, of course, he would _never, ever_ blame it on Sakura. What did she do? She was the victim, hit worst, catching the full brunt of the situation. She hadn't chosen for him to steal what was presumably one of her few _real_ kisses, rather than one on the cheek, seeing as Syaoran and Sakura never had been intimate to his knowledge.

Damn. He was happy about that. He wasn't supposed to be happy.

The light from the moon was completely hidden by a passing cloud and he snapped from his thoughts, if only momentarily, trying and failing not to notice the extreme cold of his body. He was wrapped in warm clothing and a bathrobe, his heater was on, and yet... Eriol had been feeling freezing ever since Sakura pushed him away. It was the most horrible feeling he'd ever encountered, and he couldn't help but think of how he'd inflicted these feelings on so many others others, if only in his past life.

"Sakura..." The moon came out, and he murmured her name again.

* * *

A full cup of pudding sitting before his small form, Kero frowned as he stared at Sakura's unmoving body. Three days had passed since Fujitaka returned with her in his car, unresponsive and depressed, and since then, she hadn't uttered a single word. From what the guardian could recall, the only times she even got out of bed were for unbelievably long showers in the morning and the evening, and once to use the bathroom. Most of her food was just barely picked at, waffles and pancakes included, but Kero couldn't find it in himself to eat in her place.

At night, all she seemed to do was stare blankly at the ceiling, and during the day she slept. The first two days, she would sit up and lean against the wall, ignoring Kero blatantly as her fingers began picking at the corner of her white comforter, and she would have a pensive frown on her face. Once, he'd made the mistake of commenting on how nobody wanted to see her with all those frown lines on her forehead, and her response had been a fleeting glare before she curled up under her covers.

She didn't sit up again after that.

He wished that Toya and Yukito were around to cheer her up, but the two were off at college, blissfully unaware of all the worry under the Kinomoto roof. He even wished Yue was around, if only so that the pale man could try and at least talk to Sakura, since he usually knew how to make people respond to him... When he tried, that was.

To his chagrin, Tomoyo _(he thought she was his savior!) _had come over, but all she'd received was a glare for all her effort, something that made everyone witnessing it shiver because of who it was coming from. Tomoyo and Sakura were best friends, they told each other everything, they always shared their secrets and comforted each other... Why, then, wasn't it working when it was desperately needed?

Syaoran, his seconds choice for help, wouldn't be forgiven. Kero didn't know he was the cause of the problem, and therefore, he was angry because the boy hadn't even called Sakura once. Meiling, he couldn't care less about, but he was beginning to run out of options for pulling Sakura from his stupor. He was even considering calling Eriol, creepy as the teen was, but that could wait for a short while.

Laying on her stomach, snuggled beneath covers and feeling cold, Sakura stared idly out the window. For her part, she'd gone through the sadness, and then she'd gone through anger, and even a period of mild hysteria that she didn't really remember anything of. All she knew was that now, she felt numb. Things around her were blurring into one disgusting gray color, and even though she felt like stopping it, her body wasn't listening to her mind. Instead, she lay down all day and seemed to dream, flashes of indigo and midnight colors dancing in her mind.

Every once in a while, she would think, _'Eriol-kun is...' _But her thought would never finish. The blue would flash before her again and she'd sigh mentally before continuing to be as lethargic as depressingly possible, not caring that she was probably going to come down with the flu from her eating, or lack thereof, and the rain that seemed to be coming every few hours when the clouds gathered at a single time.

She pondered on many things while she sat. Like why she couldn't cry anymore because Syaoran had been cheating on her during their obviously fake relationship. Or why she'd even considered forgiving Tomoyo, if even for just a few confused minutes. Or why Eriol was so damn... Hiiragizawa-ish. And was there really a single word out there to describe Eriol? She didn't think so, vast as all the dictionaries may be. He was close to being an enigma, but there was so much more to him...

And why was she thinking about Eriol, again? Oh, yes, that kiss. She didn't remember how the kiss felt, actually. She knew his lips had been slightly chapped when the sudden action took place, and she knew he'd accomplished his mission of subduing her long enough to call Fujitaka, but the actual meaning behind the sudden lip-lock was lost to her. If there even was a meaning besides shutting her up.

She wondered why the kiss was so prominent in her mind when she didn't even remember what it was like.

Suddenly, the moon was completely hidden behind clouds, and she was brought from her thoughts as her center of concentration was lost. Sakura had been feeling so cold lately, similar to the way she felt when Syaoran left Japan a 'final time', although he'd returned less than a year later. She didn't know _why_ she felt this way though, and she couldn't confide in Tomoyo this time.

Things were going really, really down hill for her.

The moon came into the view again, and Sakura had a sudden, completely unrelated thought, making her sit up. Her head snapped to the brown teddy bear sitting on her shelf, meticulously clean compared to others there, wearing a beautiful green ribbon tied to it's neck.

The 'Syaoran' bear.

It only took a few minutes for the bear to be thrown out the window with it's appendages barely hanging on by a thread.

* * *

"Hello, Fujitaka-san?" Tomoyo spoke over the phone. "Can I please talk to Sakura-chan? Could you tell her... Ano... Naoko-chan would like to talk to her?" She asked quietly, fingers slowly crossing as she hoped that she would be able to talk to Sakura.

An affirmative and some number of seconds later, a dull, "Moshi moshi?" rang out over the phone line.

"Sakura-chan? It's me, To-"

"-moyo. Goodbye."

_-click-_

Tears gathering in her eyes, Tomoyo gently set the phone onto it's receiver. Slowly, the droplets of water began cascading down her cheeks, and she found herself sinking to her knees as the silent sobs began to rack her body.

Why wouldn't Sakura at least listen to her? She didn't deserve it, she knew; for months, she'd been lying to the girl and encouraging her to do more with Syaoran, inadvertently causing her sadness each time Syaoran couldn't spent time because he was busy... Busy with her. Tomoyo didn't even know why she let it happen; she loved Sakura, she _knew_ that, but when Syaoran first presented her with a small white carnation, she couldn't turn down his eyes.

Wasn't she supposed to be Sakura's best friend? How could she allow herself to hold the boy, to give into his pleads, to give him... More? How could she give him anything at all?

Tomoyo knew Sakura wouldn't do that. Sakura had told her about being tentative on the subject of being intimate with Syaoran. Why, then, was Tomoyo so _stupid_ as to give in on the first cry of her lust? Surely, she could've waited just a while longer... But she couldn't get it from the person she loved. She loved Sakura, and she couldn't get such pleasures from the girl, much less returned feelings. Tomoyo hadn't realized how badly she wanted it until the feeling of satisfaction washed over her in the aftermath of her actions with Syaoran.

So, now she couldn't be with the woman she _loved_ because she was addicted to the more _lustful_ pleasures?

* * *

Walking away from Tomoyo's mansion, Syaoran scowled. For the third time in the last few days, the servants and Tomoyo's bodyguards had denied him entrance to her home. He supposed he could use magic to get in, or even just find a way through the back, but he wouldn't do that... The guards had told him that he couldn't enter because _Tomoyo didn't want to see him_.

This had happened once before, the first time he began courting her, and it had lasted an entire two weeks. After he was denied here, he usually left to see Sakura, and he'd spend the rest of the day with her. Unlike that time, however, he was sure that if he ran to Sakura now he would be killed, unless Toya and Yukito were home... Then he'd be tortured first.

Syaoran knew what he did was wrong, but he didn't know how else to go about it. He felt something for Sakura, that much was true, but a year ago he'd begun seeing Tomoyo in other ways. It was at the girl's fifteenth birthday party, when he was feeling particularly down about his mother's constant letters trying to coerce him back to China. Sakura was being carted off each time she tried to talk to Syaoran, and after a while, Tomoyo had been sent to see what was wrong. As they talked about it, he found himself loosening up oddly, and that's when the unbidden thoughts of having Tomoyo for his own had set in.

Months later, after many mental debates and nights without sleep, he finally decided to go for it.

It was only after he finally got Tomoyo to kiss him that he thought of breaking it off with Sakura. He'd tried to tell her on several occasions, but each time, it was like something was holding him back. The reasons varied from her bright smiles, to his dislike of seeing her around other guys, to his more... Carnal desires. He didn't understand what he was doing, but several times as he was courting Tomoyo secretly, he'd tried to go further with Sakura. It was almost as if it were a race, where he'd be loyal to whichever girl bent to his will first.

And Tomoyo had bent first. Coincidentally, Sakura had come over with the intents of surprising her cousin with a trip to the ice cream parlor not half an hour after Syaoran appeared.

When word got out about this, he was screwed. Well, word that Meiling hadn't caught wind of yet. It wouldn't be long though...

* * *

"Sakura-chan?" Fujitaka questioned softly as he walked up to his daughter's bed for the seventh time that day. To his surprise, she actually turned to look at him, rather than blatantly ignoring him as she had the previous three days. "Are you ready to talk about it...?"

Sakura frowned mentally as she looked at her father. She didn't really want to talk about it at all... Ever. But then, sitting around and moping really wasn't getting her anywhere. In a few days, she'd be returning to school after the spring beak, and she couldn't afford to be so lethargic and unfocused then, not when she was only just beginning to raise her math scores for the first time since elementary school.

Ever so slowly, she sat up, leaning forward and capturing her father in a hug that surprised both of them. "Gomen nasai, otou-san. I really... Don't want to talk about it," she mumbled, staring at the ground. "I'm sorry for worrying you. But it's alright now, I know what I'm going to do."

Fujitaka smiled. "Of course. If you ever want to talk about it later, though, I'm never too busy to help. I _could_ use your help making dinner right now though." One of the many things he'd been fortunate enough to pick up in life was that forcing people, and women in particular, rarely ever turned out well. If his daughter thought she could handle it, whatever _it_ was, he'd just need to accept it.

Sakura found it in herself to smile at her father, who always seemed to understand her needs. "Hai, just let me clean up, and then I'll come help," she said. After her father left the room, she turned to Kero and smiled. "I'm sorry I worried you, Kero-chan. I've made up my mind now, so I'll try not to do it again, alright?"

"Yatta!" Kero exclaimed. "I can finally eat without feeling guilty! Arigatou, Sakura-chan!" He yelled before digging into his pudding and the lunch that Sakura didn't eat earlier.

It felt a lot easier to chuckle than it was just to smile in the last few days. She supposed that was a good sign.


	4. Oral Fixation

Looking up at the massive building that was Tomoeda High, Sakura softly bit her lip, her emotions high-strung despite her peaceful appearance. Over the last four days, she'd done a great deal of thinking and rationalizing in between homework assignments, and no matter how she looked at it, she wasn't ready to face Tomoyo or Syaoran yet. As much as she loved her cousin, she certainly didn't like her at the moment, and no matter what trials and memories she'd shared with Syaoran... He'd betrayed her trust, and she wasn't keen on forgiving him too soon, if ever. And then, seeing as Meiling was gossiping loudly about it (_she knew the girl was practically yelling on purpose_), all her friends in school would probably be coming to her with pity and sympathy, which she really didn't want. As for Eriol...

A flash of indigo appeared in her mind, but left just as quickly.

Decidedly, she wasn't going to delve too deeply into that subject. She didn't feel awkward thinking about him, but she was confused; then again, that didn't really change anything, considering she was always confused about him. He was a close friend despite their offbeat start, but he kept himself well hidden... Or at least, he liked to think so. Quite often, Sakura saw flashes of pain in his eyes, accompanied by a longing that she couldn't identify, no matter what. It irked her that they were always directed her way when he thought she wasn't looking, but until she figured something out, she wouldn't confront him.

Snapping from her daze as a pair of laughing freshman went by her, Sakura forced herself to take a calm breath and continued walking, her destination set in her mind... The guidance counselor's office. Seeing as she didn't know what to do in regards to Syaoran or Tomoyo, and maybe slightly less, Meiling and anyone who found out from her, she was going to take measures against it, either temporarily or for the rest of her time as a student at Tomoeda High.

She was going to get a schedule change.

* * *

Tomoyo refrained from chewing on the end of her pencil in worry as she looked around her first period class, Japanese, filled to the brim with laughing students; the teacher was absent and a substitute had yet to appear. Unfortunately, another person had yet to show up, somebody she'd been waiting to talk to for the last week or so. Syaoran was absent from class for once, probably brooding somewhere in the school, unless he'd forgotten to set his alarm clock again.

She needed to talk to him desperately. It was only by luck that she wasn't pregnant, but she was confident that she could've taken care of that unlikely situation anyways. Tomoyo did, however, need to vent her frustration on something or somebody. Usually she could talk to Sakura about such things... But she'd messed that up, hadn't she? For the first time in months, she was genuinely confused with life itself. No matter how much she wanted to be back on good terms with Sakura, every night she'd been dreaming of Syaoran, and her mind drifted off during the day to the pleasing sensations she'd felt, so into her daydreams that she could sometimes swear she was reliving it...

A wistful sigh left her lips as heat pooled in her abdomen. _'No, no, no, Tomoyo!'_ She thought. That wasn't what she was supposed to be thinking about!

No, her focus was more on what they, together, were going to do. _They_ hurt Sakura. _They_ lied to her. _They_ lost her trust..._ They_ weren't really keen on actually breaking apart for it, it seemed. She knew he needed to talk to her, too, considering that he'd come to her gates twice a day for the last six days, even though she was too distraught at the sight of him from the window to allow him inside, not that her bodyguards would let him near in the mansion again anytime soon.

A bit like her cousin wouldn't be seeing her again anytime soon.

Now, Tomoyo refrained from swearing.

* * *

It was foolish really.

Here he was, not 10 yards away from her, in the same room as her, even, and he wouldn't go over and speak to her. Actually, he doubted she even knew he was there, considering how much effort he was putting into stifling his aura, just for the sake of not-so-discreetly spying on her. Closely examining the delicate features, not matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find any traces of worry or apprehension. Then again, her eyes were closed, and the eyes were the windows to the soul.

He was sure that if he got even the smallest glimpse of her eyes, her entire expression would seem to change, even if none of her facial muscles shifted. Of course, if he pulled back and looked at the bigger picture, he might gain clues yet, especially with how odd she seemed at the moment. It wasn't like her, one of the many beautiful and popular girls in the school, not to be surrounded by a flock of girls looking for advice or just bragging rights, especially when the room was crowded and teacher-less.

_'Well,'_ Eriol thought, _'That may have something to do with the fact that she's apparently changed schedules and nobody in this lunchroom actually knows who she is, unless they remember Touya's sister. It's mostly seniors here anyways, they wouldn't care about whose popular in the sophmore year, now would they?'_ His eyes narrowed some as his trail of thoughts continued, and as he drifted off, he was unaware of a single glance cast at him from across the room.

On the aforementioned side of the lunchroom, Sakura idly poked at the remains of her bento, only three onigiri and a juice box left. She hadn't eaten most of it, anyways. If anyone was actually sitting near her at the moment, they'd hear munching sounds from the messenger bag at her side, where Kero was happily devouring his 'snack'. _'Why is Eriol-kun just sitting there and staring?'_ She wondered. _'He might be surprised at seeing me in his lunch period... But no. He did the same thing in Chemistry and Global... Hm...'_

Abruptly, she decided not to think about it _(she had a lot of things she wasn't thinking about right now, actually_.) Instead, she stood up before closing her bento and picking up her bag. Ignoring the confused and disbelieving looks from others in the lunchroom, all females who wouldn't approach the 'charmingly cool sophmore', she plopped down next to Eriol ungracefully and gave him a small smile and a wave. "Konnichiwa, Eriol-kun," she said simply before opening her bento again. "Onigiri?" She offered.

Eriol blinked once, then again, before smirking some and nodding. "If you insist," he replied quietly, accepting the rice-ball and beginning to eat. Luckily, chewing food hid the confused frown he was sending the auburn haired girl, aided by his glasses, which could reflect light and keep anyone from seeing his slight disbelief. _'How can she be acting like nothing happened?' _Eriol wondered, absently licking a stray piece of rice off the side of his mouth, unaware of the cooing the action received from the majority of the lunchroom's female population. _'Isn't she angry at me?'_ "Sakura," he mumbled out thoughtfully.

"Hai?"

Only years and years of practice kept him from jumping. He'd somehow forgotten she was there. _'Might as well ask...'_ "About last week... How are you fairing?" Hopefully, this wouldn't be the question that finally set her off.

Oddly enough, she shrugged some. "Good enough, I guess," she mumbled in reply before taking a bite of onigiri and chewing it thoughtfully. She was silent for a few moments after swallowing, but then she began speaking again. "You can't choose who you love, right?" Her mouth twisted into a wry line, odd on her face, where smiles were usually dominant. "Poor Meiling. She's lost her chance again."

Almost instantly, he realized what was going on, and this time, his frown was visible. "Sakura..." Okay, so he just liked saying her name. So what? It felt nice, hearing that roll off his tongue... And wasn't he supposed to be saying something right about now? Oh, yeah. Putting a hand on her head, he sighed. "You can't just ignore everything. It'll end up hurting you in the end. Even if you think about it...If you don't get it out into the open, you're eventually going to burst."

"Maybe I want to burst!" She snapped quickly before shutting her mouth, frowning. "Gomen, Eriol-kun, it's just..."

"It's alright, Sakura. We all have the right to feel that way sometimes," he said, glad to know she wasn't numbing to the world once again and silently feeling relieved that she wasn't reverting back into that..._ Negative_ personality from days before. Remembering the experience still sent shivers down his spine.

The auburn haired girl sighed, but felt a bit better somehow from his assurance. "If you say so..."


	5. And the Cherry Blossom

_This was it. The confrontation they'd been avoiding. What would the outcome be? "Sa-" He didn't get a chance to complete her name before a fist met him in the jaw, surprisingly powerful for somebody so tiny, and a cheerleader at that. In a move that shocked both of them, however, he pushed back, knocking her to the ground, staring coldly into the twin pools of emerald. "Don't hit me, girl."_

_"Li..." With a growl, she lunged, fury warping her usual mindset and leading her actions as she aimed to break his nose. Would he really dismiss her like she was nothing after everything they'd been through? She refused to believe it. She refused to __**stand**__ for it, because she knew their former bond was more important than that. "Don't you dare-"_

Sakura put the book down, grimacing in distaste. She _hated_ her creative writing class; how did Eriol take it? Then again, he probably found some twisted type of joy in reading about the misfortune of fictional characters, since he could no longer cause mischief for real people, not without an equally painful backlash, at least.

Groaning softly, she slumped on the bench she sat at, allowing her head to flop back, focusing her eyes on the bright green plant life above her. A cloud drifted to the side in the light breeze, and she closed her eyes so that the suddenly visible sun could warm her face, relishing in the simplicity of the warm orange glow behind her eyelids. _'I wish I was a cloud,'_ she thought. _'Free to drift where I want, free to release all my burdens on the world whenever they got too heavy...'_ A flash of navy. _'Even if I still couldn't escape all the vast __**blue**__ that's so intertwined with my life...'_

Suddenly, the glow behind her eyelids disappeared and she vaguely noticed warm hands covering her face. "Guess who?" Came the quiet tenor, sounding amused and slightly playful.

"Hm... The murderer?" Sakura asked wryly.

"Well, that could be it, but I seem to have left my giant butcher's knife at home. Try again?"

"The tooth fairy?" A giggle drifted out of her mouth.

"No, your pillow is all the way at home, so I can't access your teeth right now. Last try." Or he could, actually. All he would need to do was lean down and... He stopped the thoughts and shoved them to the back of his head. _'Bad thoughts.'_

"Eto... Santa Claus? Did you get my letter? I wrote one extra early this year."

Rolling his eyes, Eriol leaned over Sakura and removed his hands, placing his elbows on either side of her to support him. "No, I never have looked good in red."

"I'm sure you could pull it off if you tried hard enough, Eriol-kun," she replied, opening her eyes. "Konnichiwa."

"Konnichiwa." After picking up his backpack from the ground next to him, Eriol walked around the bench to sit next to her, setting the pack next to his legs. For a moment, he admired how peaceful she looked, as he hadn't seen her with such an expression for at least a month. _'But now isn't the time.'_ Taking a breath, he spoke, "I don't suppose you've read the entire book yet?"

Sitting up straight again, Sakura shook her head, pausing to brush auburn locks behind her ear. _'I need to get a haircut soon,'_ she thought absently. "I can't get through it. It's too... Familiar. Maybe I haven't cornered Syaoran and broken his jaw yet, but still. And it doesn't help that the main characters are named Li and Sakiko."

Eriol sighed. "You'll have to finish the book eventually, though. It's most likely going to be a big part of the next exam."

"_Or_ I can go to the library and read an outline. Yamazaki-kun probably knows a few good websites that I can refer to."

"Hm, I see." A few years ago, when things were still simple _(or as simple as they could be for a reincarnated magician and the people he was antagonizing)_, he would've been shocked if she ever suggested that in earnest. Of course, it _wasn't_ a few years ago, and he found that recently, she was letting go of her 'good girl' attitude. It was cause for worry, not only because magic changed with a person, but because it seemed like the Sakura he knew was disappearing. She looked the same; tanned skin, emerald eyes, and auburn hair _(maybe a little longer than usual)_ that framed her face. Inside, however, she was changing.

As of yet, it was nothing big, but Eriol found the small things more noticeable; the way she drifted off at times, with an almost cold expression, her aura, which periodically darkened or seemed to shift to a different color when she was left to her thoughts, the way she never seemed surprised by anything anymore... It was all getting to him. Even her handwriting had gone from lightly curved and almost _innocent_ to straight and at times, thick and textbook perfect. All the tiny things that made Sakura, well, _Sakura_ just seemed to be disappearing.

The worst thing was that there was nothing he could do about it.

They were friends, of course, but there were times when heavy silences fell onto them, and things became somewhat tense. They weren't as close as before_... _Or maybe, that wasn't the right word. It was more that Eriol was anchored to the sea bottom while Sakura sailed away, and as the seas around them changed, it became harder for them to _share_ things.

He was afraid that, with time, they wouldn't be able to share anything at all.

"A yen for your thoughts?" Sakura asked, watching Eriol from the corner of her eye. He blinked, and looked at her, but didn't seem to register what she'd said, if he even realized that she'd spoken. _'Again?'_ she couldn't help but think. It wasn't the first time he'd drifted off in his thoughts and just blanked out, becoming little more than a dazed teen that was nothing like the usual too-cool Eriol she knew. It worried her. For his sake, she prodded him, and repeated the question when he blinked.

"Ah..." He smiled, inwardly feeling foolish for drifting off into his thoughts once more, as he usually only did at home. "Nothing you should concern yourself with, Sakura. I seem to be confusing myself with a great many things that really should be simple." In his mind, it was the truth, if drastically simplified to the point of _almost_ being false.

For a moment, she watched him, and imagined for a fleeting second that he began to look flustered under her intense scrutiny. Then she offered a smile to him in return of his own. "If you say so, Eriol-kun." With a content sigh, she stood and stretched. "Ready to go?"

It took him a second to answer. Her school shirt had ridden up, and without the mandatory blazer covering her torso like it did during school hours, he was presented with a nice view of toned, tanned skin. Averting his eyes quickly, if only for his own sanity, he stood as well. "Of course," he replied, offering her his arm while settling his bag onto one shoulder.

With an ease borne of longstanding comfort, Sakura slid her arm into his, shouldering her own bag. "Are we heading to your house or mine?" She asked as they began walking from the school courtyard.

"I think Ruby and Spinel might just distract us from the project." Eriol chuckled quietly. "We should head to your home. I'm always eager to have one of the snacks that Fujitaka-san makes for you."

"And it has nothing to do with the cake I baked last night?" The emerald eyed girl asked skeptically.

His smile went from 'normal' to 'charming'. "Why, Sakura, I would never go to your house simply to take advantage of your culinary skills concerning sweets."

"Sure..."

The pair turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

Not far away, still standing at the gates of Tomoeda High, amber-brown eyes narrowed. _'Who does he think he is, anyways? What reason does he have to touch her so much? I should...'_ The thought process was derailed by a soft voice.

"Syaoran-kun?" Tomoyo asked. "Were you waiting for me?"

He relaxed, but only slightly. "Um... Hai." Syaoran frowned slightly. "We need to talk."

Tomoyo had been dreading those words.

* * *

"Sakura... I think you factored this wrong," Eriol commented, blinking at the sheet before him, trying to figure out _how_, exactly, the perimeter of a diagram had been calculated into a negative number. "Perhaps you should check it again?"

"Eh?" She took the offered sheet. "Okay, Eriol-kun. Just a moment. Then we can begin on the new dimensions."

As Sakura lost herself in trying to fix the problem, Eriol allowed his eyes to drift. At her insistence, they were working in Sakura's room. It was the first time he'd entered it in... How long, weeks? Months, perhaps? Either way, it had changed. Gone were the pink walls, replaced instead with a calm blue that never failed to surprise him when he looked up, while the carpet was white. On several cabinets where he remembered a multitude of toys and teddy bears, he saw pictures and small books, along with trinkets like a few too-small rings and friendship bracelets, of the likes he remembered from fifth or sixth grade. Her bed was bigger, and against a different wall, now with plain blue and white sheets. Even her desk and dresser were different; the clutter was gone, replaced with neat lines of pens and stacks of paper, or hair-care products and small mirrors.

"When did you take such a liking to the color blue, Sakura?" Eriol asked curiously, noting the new chair at the desk, dark navy colored. "I wasn't aware you'd deviated from pink."

_'All the blue...'_ She couldn't help it. She blushed. "Hoe?" Sakura squeaked, looking up from the problem with widened eyes.

Eriol turned his head quickly, eyebrows up in surprise. Had he just heard what he _thought_ he'd heard? _'It's been so long since she made that cute little sound...'_ A smile stretched his face, for reasons he couldn't, or maybe wouldn't, discern. Deciding not to mention it, he continued, "Or is pink still your favorite color?"

"Ano... I just wanted some change. And I think blue is a very nice color. It reminds me of the sky, and water, you know? And Otou-san said that it was Kaa-san's favorite color. I think it might be my favorite color too, because it reminds me of-" Sakura clamped her mouth shut abruptly, having realized that she was rambling, and also that she was getting ready to say 'you'. Her blush darkened. "Gomen, I was rambling again."

His smile widened further. "It's no problem, Sakura."

Fujitaka paused in the doorway, blinking some at his blushing daughter and the smiling Eriol. It reminded him very much of familiar scenes from years past, when he and Nadeshiko spent a short time trying rationalize their feelings for each other, and thus tended to fumble awkwardly when the other was near. He shook his head some when Sakura hid her face in her hands, much as her mother had done when embarrased, and smiled. "Sakura-chan, Hiiragizawa-san?" Perhaps, he'd need to call the boy by a more familiar name soon. "I've brought you some snacks to eat while you work."

Eriol smiled at the man as he set the plate down before them. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Fujitaka-san."

Lifting her face from her hands, Sakura managed a smile. "Arigatou, Otou-san."

"You're welcome, both of you. No use working on an empty stomach." With a nod, he left the room again, and the teens went back to work.

* * *

The silence was deafening.

There was something irksome about being together now, like it was... _Forbidden_, or something. They hadn't done anything yet, not this time at least, but Tomoyo still felt like they were being watched while doing something considered 'naughty'. Then again, it could just be her, trying to suppress the thoughts she'd been having of Syaoran all day, distracting her from her studies and practically everything else that went on around her.

It was perhaps because of these thoughts that they now sat in her room at the mansion, awkwardly placed on the plush couch on the far side of the room from her bed, thinking of questions they wanted to ask, things they wanted to say, problems they wanted to address; and then keeping it all to themselves.

He _still_ wasn't good at expressing himself, Syaoran had found. Not that he had much to express, or at least, he didn't think so. What was there, really, to be done? He'd hurt Sakura, but by the time that happened, Tomoyo came first. And it was Sakura who hurt Tomoyo, even if in consequence to his actions... No, _their_ actions. It wasn't like he felt any regret for what he'd done... But did she? No; she couldn't. It simply wasn't allowed.

The dark haired girl looked up in surprise when she felt a surprisingly gentle hand resting over hers ('_but Sakura-chan's hands are softer, she uses lotion_'), and blushingly, she met Syaoran's eyes. "Syaoran-kun," she breathed out. "I..." Abusing the pale flesh of her bottom lip with her teeth, Tomoyo looked back down to the perfectly fluffed and cleaned carpet. Perhaps she would replace the red with pink. _'Sakura likes pink,'_ the thought breezed by.

"I don't regret it at all," Syaoran spoke, voice unwavering as he shifted closer to her. Putting a hand on her chin, he tilted her face up, and made her look him in the eye again. "And I know you don't regret it either, right?"

Hadn't they come there to talk? "Syaoran-" But his hand was on her knee (_Sakura used to put her hands on her knees when they talked_) and moving up to her thigh, and he was so _warm_... "I don't regret it at all." As she lied, her eyes shifted so slightly he wouldn't notice, to his dark brown hair, lighter streaks from the sun still visible, though fading as the school year continued. Then she thought that Sakura's was closer to auburn than his was, and that was prettier.

He smiled, relieved, then leaned in to pull her into a soft kiss that didn't stay chaste for very long. And while their tongues intertwined, she thought that Sakura's lips always looked softer than his felt, and when they'd kissed once_ (just once, just an experiment_) her mouth had tasted so much better than his constant chocolate-y flavor. Her hands wove into his hair (_Sakura's hair was longer and softer_), and then her fingers dipped down his shoulders_ (Sakura's skin was smoother)_ and she pressed up against him_ (she liked Sakura's tiny frame better than his small hips and broad shoulders_)and knew that there was no way that she wouldn't still be regretful in two, six, twenty years...

As they stretched across the couch, Tomoyo wondered if Sakura would've always tugged at her hair as well.


	6. Magical Majority

A/N: And _n _months later, the prodigal (lazy) son (daughter, actually) returns! It's not that I'm neglecting this story...It's that I'm a lazy bum. Ah well.

To: Y.C.A.T

No, that wasn't the end at all. -sweatdrop- Please forgive me for sending you into a panic of sorts.

---

The night was clear and filled to the brim with winking stars, with the occasional deep purple cloud obscuring the light of the moon--- just like any other night in Tomoeda, especially in the spring, when it could rain anytime the skies pleased. Still, the sight was like a vision of peacefulness made especially for her, or at least that was how it felt to Sakura. It was a late Friday night, or perhaps early Saturday morning, three weeks into her sophomore year at Tomoeda High, and for all intents and purposes of the rest the world, she had better things to be doing than stargazing; for instance, practicing for her music practical, because she knew she'd trip up on the violin if she didn't practice the song.

But Kinomoto Sakura wasn't the rest of the world.

A faint smile was steady on the auburn haired girl's lips as she stood atop Tomoeda's highest tower, in the very center of the city, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt that had once belonged to Touya. Her feet were completely bare, and all but invisible under the baggy gray sweats. Slowly, emerald green eyes wandered from the sky to the the ground, nearly fifty stories below her. Rather than shivering, her smile stretched wider, and in a move that would've frightened anybody if they'd been there to see it, she stepped onto the ledge of the building.

Lately, Sakura had been feeling...Restless. When her mind wasn't stuck on Syaoran and Tomoyo, and her time wasn't occupied with her steadily growing friendship with Eriol, she felt jitters down her spine and a strange _need_ just building up somewhere deep in her body, disquietude disrupting all her private thoughts, until finally, she recognized what was happening; she hadn't used any magic since before her..._betrayal_. It was only right that the steadily building abilities and energy had to get out somehow.

This was not to say, of course, that having a dream about her cards flying around without pause hadn't given her a clue.

It was for this reason that she'd climbed out of her window at eleven pm, walked all the way to the center of Tomoeda, and began exercising her magic with simple spells Eriol had taught her over the years, such as one to unlock regular doors, and another to make one step carry her along ten--- which all led to her being on top of the fifty story high building. She raised a hand to the necklace that hadn't once left her person in five years, and caressed it, smiling faintly at the warm pulse that came in response.

And then Sakura turned and hopped backwards off the building.

There was panic, for about three seconds, as Sakura watched the sky grow vaster and the buildings taller and her hair all the more dangerous as it whipped at her face. And then, once again, her hand clasped her necklace, and she remembered herself. Her body relaxed as she fell, hearing words on the wind that she wouldn't bother wondering about or even computing, and feeling her own magic growing more and more restless in response to her danger.

Finally, she pulled her staff, and opened her mouth to speak the release--- but then she remembered Eriol telling her about how as his body and magical core grew older and stronger once more, it became easier and easier to simply summon the staff with just 'release'. And so, concentrating, she thought about her staff becoming full-sized, and her powers having a conduit, and how the pink had slowly darkened to a more red color as she grew older--- "_Release,_" she breathed.

The necklace floated up, spinning and flashing moonlight of it's own volition, and then in a burst of unexpected energy, exploded into it's full form--- only, with changes she'd never seen before. But Sakura didn't think about that, because the ground was approaching fast. What would she use? _Not something easy,_ she thought to herself. _Not fly...Not jump..._ "Windy!"

The card flew out of her pocket as she turned sideways in the air, and hovered before her as the ground closed in. With a cry of 'release!', Sakura tapped the card with her staff, and barely five feet off the street, she found herself blown up into the air once more by a huge gust of wind. A laugh bubbled up out of her throat as she was tossed higher into the air, then caught and tossed again. As the Windy exercised by playing with her, she thought of what else to do.

Last time Sakura had checked, she'd been able to summon four cards at once and keep them going for half an hour--- but that had been nearly a year and a half ago, because she didn't make it regular practice to drain herself into an exhaustion that kept her asleep for over twelve hours. But maybe...?

Concentrating, she reached into her pocket despite being in a slow tumble upside down at the moment, and touched her cards as an idea formed in her head. "Mirror, release!" The card flew out and was released by a passing touch as she twirled her staff in one hand. The Windy caught the other card, whose eyes were widened in surprise at being far above ground level, or even sky-scraper level. The tower she'd first jumped from was far below them. "Hello, mirror," she said softly, smiling.

Shyly, the green-haired girl waved back, before releasing a quiet squeak as the Windy turned them over in tumbles before sending them into swirls. Sakura thought that if it were possible, Mirror would be feeling a bit queasy at the moment--- and then she thought that Mirror actually was, because the green tint to her usually pale skin certainly _wasn't_ imagined. So she summoned her next card. "Float, release! Catch Mirror!"

The large, winged ball came into appearance directly beneath the regal looking card, who breathed a sigh of relief when Windy returned to simply playing with Sakura, who was somehow even more relaxed mid-air than she was when she skated. _Windy, Mirror, and Float have been released. Who else should I let out to play?_ She thought. "Hm...Glow, release!"

This time, Sakura didn't have to give any orders, and instead watched the almost mystical sight of light green orbs floating around them, sometimes looking like oddly colored stars and other times, like fireflies flying far too high. "There, that makes four," she said to nobody in particular, absently tucking her hair behind her ear, even though it just came out of place the next time that Windy tossed her. _I really need a haircut sometime soon,_ she thought.

And then she noticed that she _wasn't_ feeling the same, inside-out drain she'd felt the first time she summoned four cards, where she felt full and empty at the same time. So maybe, just maybe, she could let out one more card? Thoughtfully, she chewed on her bottom lip. Would it be a good idea to summon one last card? _What if I faint while I'm in the air?_ she wondered. But at the same time, she knew the answer to that. Her cards would let her down as gently as possible, and more likely than not, Cerberus would find his way to her and bring her home before any real damage was done.

It was decided, then. One more card.

"Hope...Release." In a torrent of soft pink light, a joyful looking young girl with a striking resemblance to Sakura's deceased mother appeared, holding a winged heart tightly to her chest as she floated in the air, supported by nothing, not even Windy.

Immediately, a smile bloomed on Sakura's face, even larger than before. It was the effect that seeing the Hope always brought to her. The card had always made her feel good once she began to summon her. Secretly, Sakura thought that bringing hope was exactly what the Hope's special ability was, seeing as she'd never expressed any others. She'd often called the card out just to sit nearby and feel good, especially since she knew that the Hope loved being out and free.

"Hello, Hope. It's good to see you again." _Now_ the tiredness was setting in, and it must've showed in her tone, because Windy slowly began carrying her lower, heading in the direction of her home. Mirror, riding on Float, circled her occasionally, but more often stayed near Hope as they seemed to let silent communication pass between them, with the Glow still falling around them peacefully.

After a few minutes, Sakura finally found herself beind settled down on a bench, where she tiredly leaned back, smiling and holding her hand out as the cards transformed one by one, settling gently on her palm facedown. The last one to go was the Glow, after putting an extra spray of green globes around her. Feeling more than content for the first time in weeks, she silently tucked the cards back in her pocket and closed her eyes. _I'll just rest for a little while,_ she thought.

"Sakura-chan grows more powerful every year, doesn't she, Eriol-sama?" Spinel asked, seated on the navy haired teen's shoulder.

Leaning back against the tree whose branch he sat in, Eriol nodded. "I wouldn't have expected her to be able to control five cards on her own so quickly." He smiled. "But she's always been somewhat surprising, hasn't she?"

Nakuru giggled quietly, laying across the branch above the two. "That's only because you always have expectations and assumptions, Eriol-sama. If you'd just go with the flow, like me and Suppi-chan, you wouldn't always be so surprised!"

"Suppi-chan and _I_," Spinel corrected automatically, before realizing what he'd said and flying up to yell at her. "And my name is not Suppi! It is Spinel! _Spinel_!"

Eriol chuckled, and leapt easily from her branch. "Not being surprised would take the fun out of things, Nakuru." He walked over to the bench where Sakura had slipped into sleep, despite her efforts to remain awake, and lightly brushed her hair away from her forehead. "She really needs to stop going so far from home to train herself," he murmured before lifting her into his arms with little effort. "Let's go, you two. I daresay Fujitaka-san will be worried if he finds her missing."

At a leisurely pace, Nakuru followed with Spinel on her shoulder, and a giggle escaped her mouth every few moments. "Eriol-sama's crush on Sakura-chan is so cute," she whispered to Spinel.

_This_ was one point that Spinel actually agreed with her on, even if he wouldn't use 'cute'. "Better Sakura-sama than that Kaho woman who can't make up her mind on getting over Touya."

"Of course."

---

Blinkingly, Sakura stared at the white ceiling of her room, and wondered when she'd gotten there. A yawn was covered by her hand as she ran through her memories; flying...Glow...A park bench...

_She'd fallen asleep on a park bench!? _"Hoe!?" The brunette shot up in her bed, the cover almost falling off of her, and staring at Kero's small, agitated form sitting on her legs, she belatedly remembered that she was in her room. "Kero-chan...?" She mumbled, furrowing her brows. _How_, exactly, had she gotten home?

Tiny arms crossed over his chest, Kero floated up before her face and glowered. "You should've told me you were leaving to train! Just imagine if that creepy kid hadn't brought you back home? Somebody could've kidnapped you right off that park bench! I'd never get to eat your pancakes again!"

"Eriol-kun brought me home?" She asked, confused and embarrassed all at once. Her face was tinted pink; he'd seen her in her most casual set of pajamas! Then, a second later, she wondered why that mattered; he'd also seen her in every embarrassing outfit Tomoyo had ever placed her in, courtesy of her cousin's video diaries. She was actually rather sure that he'd even seen her in her bathing suit back when she was ten, and if that wasn't embarrassing, she didn't know what was.

Perhaps something more pressing to worry about was how, exactly, he'd chanced upon her. Why hadn't she sensed him? Even exhaustion couldn't hide how powerful his aura always seemed to her, at least when he wasn't actively suppressing it. But then... Why would he be suppressing it?

Shaking her head slightly to clear her mind, she decided to think on it later, mainly because her breath stunk, her stomach was grumbling, and she had the pressing need in the back of her mind to practice that song on her violin, as she had nearly every day for three weeks. Something about playing the violin just soothed her, ever since her first year in middle school, when they finally got to choose their own instruments. With a quiet 'oomph', she rolled off her bed and barely managed to stand before walking to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

"So, what _did_ happen when you went to train?" Kero asked, floating slightly above her as she soaked in the bath. She'd stopped getting angry about this a while ago; he just came in anyways, usually to talk or ask how long before she could come out and make him food.

"Well, I managed to hold five cards at once yesterday," she stated with a shy but proud smile spreading across her face.

Kero began clapping and bobbing in the air excitedly. "Really? Wow, Sakura! That's great! Which five?"

"Windy, Mirror, Float, Glow, and the Hope. It was fun, until I started to get tired." She turned over, folding her arms on the edge of the bath and looking at him curiously. "I think that if I hadn't used so many small spells on the way there, I might've actually managed to bring out another card, Keroberos... Is that normal?" Sakura rested her head on her arms, allowing her damp hair to fall before her eyes. "Eriol-kun said that he expected me to control five by this winter, not now... And that's without spells beforehand."

"Hmm..." The yellow plushie floated lower to look her in the face. "I'm not sure, Sakura. When Clow was your age, he hadn't even created the cards yet, and I think I was only in the beginning stages of my growth, so I barely remember it. From what I know, though, between thirteen and eighteen, a lot of young sorcerers go through their magical majority, which might have something to do with it."

"Magical majority?" She asked, green eyes wide with curiosity. "What's that?"

"Well..." He looked slightly uncomfortable, all of a sudden. "It's kinda like puberty, I guess. When you're young, you have a certain amount of power that tends to grow, or really, make itself accessible as you exercise your abilities more. When you turn thirteen, or about that age, the growth of a human's magical core suddenly jump starts for some reason, and they gain more magic, and occasionally more powers. Like your dream visions; they might develop into controllable seer talent, and you could gain any other ability, too, depending on your core. Your magic and aura fluctuate a lot, and your emotions too, so a lot of you act pretty strange around now..."

"Wow..." Sakura slipped lower into the bath as she contemplated this. Maybe her magic had been at a high point last night, and that's why she was doing so well? Maybe...Maybe Eriol-kun was acting even stranger because of it! But then, he was reincarnated, wasn't he? Did he go through it again, or did he already have everything from his first life?

Suddenly, she remembered something from the night before, and Sakura turned to Kero with wide eyes. "Kero-chan! Is that the reason my staff changed again?" She'd completely forgotten it last night, caught up in the adrenaline of flying with Windy's help.

"What?! It changed again? But... Show me!" Kero all but commanded, suddenly looking serious.

Biting her lip, Sakura grasped the chain she never removed from her neck, concentrated on her staff and then--- "Release," she whispered.

In her hand the staff grew to it's full size, it's _new_ size, which happened to be nearly six feet long, rather than the four feet she'd gotten used to. The staff had been pink, when she was first using the Star Staff, but it wasn't long after the final judgment that it began turning darker. Three months ago, it was nearly crimson. Now, however, it really was crimson, like red carnations. At the very top of the staff, the star had almost doubled in size, with a strange glitter to it, and now, a large golden crescent moon was around it, rather than the simple circle from before.

"What the hell...?" It was a very rare time when Kero swore.

"Keroberos?" Sakura asked, immediately worried.

"Sakura, this shouldn't be possible. I've never heard of anyone's staff changing once, let alone twice." He floated down to the edge of the tub, staring at the weapon with furrowed brows. "The first time, your staff changed because you finally began using your own magic rather than Clow's, but this time..." He frowned. "I think we should go over to the Hiiragizawa brat's place. Quickly."

With a sense of urgency from Kero's words, Sakura had gotten out of the bath, dried off, and tugged on the first set of clothes she could grab; coincidentally, it was an outfit she'd gotten the year before in China, with a short sleeved red gi lined in yellow, white pants that cut off at her ankles, and a pair of traditional white slippers. She tugged her hair, which was getting far too long, into twin buns with red ribbons, and then disappeared from the house on her skates.

As the trip to Eriol's house was made, she wondered: why her?

---

"Eriol-sama! You have _visitors_!" Nakuru all but sang as she danced through the mansion to Eriol's bedroom. "Wake _up_, Eriol-sama!"

As the door creaked open, shedding afternoon light onto his completely darkened bedroom, Eriol sat up groggily, his eyes still closed. "Nakuru," he mumbled, "Close the door."

"Nuh-uh, Eriol-sama!" The energetic brunette exclaimed, waving a finger at him, even though he couldn't see it. "You wouldn't want to keep _Sakura-_sama waiting, now would you? She's been here two minutes already!"

_That_ woke him up. He opened one eye to look at the feminine being -_he said this because none of the guardians had been created male or female-_ standing in the doorway. "...Nakuru. Close the door." After a second, he added, "I'll be there shortly." The moment the door closed, he flopped back into bed, keeping his eyes closed for another minute while he tried to make himself get out of bed. Reincarnation of the greatest sorcerer in the world or not, he was still a teenager.

Ten minutes later, freshly showered and dressed, Eriol attempted to get rid of all his yawns before he made it to the sitting room. However, he stopped just before entering, immediately noticing three things. First of all, Sakura looked very, very cute the way she was dressed. He couldn't remember the last time her hair had been long enough to be pulled into buns -_actually, he could; seventh grade_-, but he hoped she'd keep it longer this time, just to keep seeing her hair like this.

The second thing he noticed was that Kero wasn't eating the cookies on the table, which was a very, very bad sign. It meant something was serious.

The _last_ thing he noticed was that Nakuru had his photo album from England open on the table, and it contained his baby pictures. This spurred him into movement. Somehow maintaining his composure at a photo of his birth parents giving him his first real bath -_he was never so happy for the invention of bubble bath_-, Eriol slid into the room and sat down across from Sakura and Nakuru before gently reaching out and taking the album, closing it at the very first opportunity. Those weren't pictures he'd ever wanted anyone to see.

"Hello, Sakura. How might I help you today?" He asked, setting the album down next to him.

"Ano..." Sakura glanced to the frowning Kero, who caught her look, and took over: "Sakura's staff changed. Could it be because of her majority coming?"

Eriol appeared thoughtful for a moment, but strangely, not as bothered as Kero appeared. "That's rather unexpected, but certainly not impossible. She gained her true staff at age ten, which is late, compared to traditional sorcerer's apprentices. That is, however, because she was unaware of her abilities before releasing the Clow Cards. In general, apprentices usually get their staffs around age seven or eight, and it grows with them. Because Sakura was drawing from Clow Reed's residual magic at first, that was even more delayed..." He paused.

"Another thing to consider is that she is rather rare, receiving magic from both sides of her lineage, rather than just one parent." He caught Sakura's confused look and smiled, explaining, "Fujitaka-san, as the other reincarnation of Clow Reed, passed some magic onto you at birth. But your mother Nadeshiko-sama was likely magical as well, because it takes quite some talent to see ghosts or receive natural precognitive powers, like Touya-san and yourself. Clow Reed was one of the most poweful sorcerer's in the world, and it's rare that sorcerers manage to have children with other sorcerers, because the magic clashes in the womb and aborts the child. So it's understandable that you're becoming more powerful, which is causing your staff to change and accommodate you."

Sakura had only caught some of that, but based on Kero's expression, the proverbial light bulb had just turned on his head. By his relaxed state, that also meant that her staff changing was not, in fact, something bad. Which was good for her. "Arigatou, Eriol-kun," she said gratefully relaxing. "I was worried that something was wrong."

He smiled. "I assure you, in these circumstances, it's completely normal." He was amused to note that Kero and Nakuru had discreetly slipped out with the cookie tray. He hoped they weren't trying to give Spinel sweets again...

"Ne...Eriol-kun," Sakura said, gaining his attention with the tiny grin on her face. "You were a very cute baby."

He managed to keep the blush from his face, but her could feel his ears getting hot. He resorted to thanking her and looking away from the mirth in her eyes in the hopes of calming himself down. Did she have to look so cute as she was teasing him?


End file.
